The Perfect Crime
by Sushi Chi
Summary: Set during the Year that Never Was. Ianto Jones is on a mission.


**Dislcaimer: I do not own. No matter how much I wish or try, the best I will ever be able to do is imagine.  
A/N: Set during the Year that Never Was. And if you don't like my ending, as me and I'll tell you what my mom had come up with. Trust me, mine actually makes sense. But her's was amusing and had me laughing.  
Reviews are like air, though only give them if you feel like they are needed (I think they are, but if you don't . . . whatever).**

Ianto Jones hid in the shadows, which was hard to do as the _Valiant_ was above the clouds and light leaked into every crevasse. But he had to be sure he wouldn't be seen. Especially not by the Master. He looked around the deck, hand always on his gun. Tent in a corner, a wheelchair next to it. He could see a silhouette, that had to be the Doctor then. A few guards with bigger guns (not that it mattered, he had a pretty powerful gun, for how small it was). The Jones' (no relation, mind). Lucy Saxon was looking out the large windows, smiling down at the burnt world, dancing a bit to the horrid pop music that the Master constantly played.

But where was Jack?

He watched as the Master's face filled with joy as tea was brought to him by Mrs. Jones. Followed by him spitting it out on her face and frowning at her. She bowed and said a few apologies before going to wash up.

Then the Toclafane, or whatever they were, showed up. Making the Master smile and laugh before following them into another room. Ianto's eyes scanned the area again, catching the young Jones girl's eyes. They locked and he placed one finger over his lips, the universal sign for being quiet. She swallowed and gave a small nod.

Tish Jones, sister of Martha Jones, knew who the man on the _Valiant_ was. He had become as much as a legend as her sister. He was Torchwood. The Torchwood. The only one left. He was hope. She just had to make sure he could do whatever his plan was, without getting caught. Tish kept an eye on him, when she saw that he was planning on moving, she caught his eye again and nodded and gave him a small wink for luck.

Tish then let herself go limp, causing the guards to rush up to her. Peeking through her eyelashes, she saw that The Torchwood was gone from the deck. She had been helpful. Opening her eyes again she apologized, she must have not had enough to eat or drink and fainted.

It was darker in the hallways, for this Ianto was pleased. Made it much easier to hide when guards came around. The Torchwood's plan was easy enough: find Jack, then with Jack's help, get the Doctor back to normal and defeat the Master. Okay, so it wasn't exactly 'easy', but the Torchwood had done harder missions during the past eleven months by himself.

All other Torchwood officers died within two months of the Master's reign. What was left of Torchwood One was the first to go. The Toclofane went to them on only the second day, of course at the Master's orders. No one knew what exactly happened to Torchwood Two, better known as Archie. He just sorta disappeared, presumed dead. At the very least, he wasn't doing anything to help. Just a few weeks into it all, Torchwood Four decided to make an appearance, shocking everyone. Too bad the Master really doesn't like surprises.

Then the Master turned his attention to Jack's team. Torchwood Three. Said he waited to deal with them last, just to torment the Freak. He either captured Ianto's teammates and had them, presumably, murdered in front of Jack, or had their deaths video tapped and once again, presumably, played for Jack to see. Ianto wasn't sure how he'd survived for so long, but he was the only one left. Of course, if you don't count Jack.

But really, Jack would always be there, wouldn't he?

Back against the wall, Ianto peered into the next room and let out an involuntary gasp. Jack was tied up, arms spread out in opposite directions, guards with large guns around him and he was, well, for lack of a better word: dirty. He watched as Jack flirted with the guards, only to be ignored. But he carried on a one-sided conversation very well. He'd probably had lots of practice the last months. And lots of deaths as well.

"I'm about to tear out his heart if you'd like to see."

The Torchwood didn't jump, didn't flinch, didn't make any sort of movement when he heard the Master's voice whisper in his ear, "Literally?" he asked.

"Metaphorically." The Master started, "But I like you're thinking. I might do that first, mind." He grabbed the gun from Ianto's grasp and tied his hands behind his back, "I had been thinking of just killing you in front of him. You know he loves you right? So, I thought, what a perfect death for my little Freak? Not actually kill him in body, but in soul yes. In soul." He wiggled his eyebrows and spun the Torchwood around as he did so, "Shall we say hello?"

The Master shoved the Torchwood into the room with the Immortal. "Hello, Jackie Boy! Look who I've found!" He shoved Ianto into the dark room. Ianto tripped a bit, but didn't fall. Squaring his shoulders he looked at Jack.

And Jack looked back. He swallowed thickly, "Ianto." He looked at his once lover. God, he was still in a suit. And some how he the tie was still in place. How Ianto could always be dressed so perfectly was beyond him. His hair was a little longer and mussed up, but what caught Jack's eyes was the scar. A large scar ran from the middle of his forehead, across his left eye (he still had use of his eye) and stopped just below his left ear. A deep and angry looking scar.

The Master clapped his hands together, "And now there will be no Torchwood left, not after I kill him. This will be fun." He grinned. "But don't worry, Jack. I might kill you first. Ianto had given me an idea. Literally rip out your heart." He paused and shook his head, a faint smile on his lips, "I honestly don't know why I had never come up with that idea. Maybe I should keep the Torchwood around for more ideas, hm?" He paused, "Nah!"

Ianto gave Jack a small smile then turned and faced the Master, "May I ask you something, sir?"

"Ooh. Sir?" the Master's grin widened, "I like that. Though I do prefer my name. How about you rephrase that with my name and I'll see if you can ask me something." He wiggled his eyebrow cheekily.

Ianto rolled his eyes, "Eh, never mind then."

Anger found the Master's face, "Now hold on a minute!" He growled, stalking up to the Torchwood and glowered, "I will not take anyone rolling their eyes at me and acting like I am a piece of trash."

"Oh, no." Ianto started, "I do not think you are a piece of trash. I know trash, as I used to take his out," he nodded his head in Jack direction, "You are actually more like the slime that I refused to touch." A smirk he saved for these occasions found Ianto's face.

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why the hell would Ianto wind the Master up like that? Did he have a death wish? True, he'd probably die anyway, but instead of a quick death, he was bound to be tortured. Jack was about to interrupt them when he noticed that Ianto was just distracting the Master. As they spoke, Ianto was getting out of his restraints.

The Master looked like he was about to kill Ianto on the spot, but then his face split into a grin, matching the Torchwood's own smirk. "Alright then, Torchwood, what is your question?"

Licking his lips, Ianto leaned in towards the Master, and whispered in his ear, "Do you still hear those drums? The pounding? The never ending noise?"

The Master took a step back, an new look on his face. It was a mixture between horror, confusion, amusement and a few other choice emotions. "How-How do you know about the drums?"

Ianto's smirk was still in place, "I'm Ianto Jones." He quickly punched the Master in the face, "And I know everything."

The Master fell to the ground, clinging to his face, blood pouring out of his nose. The guards all took aim and Ianto took out two small guns he had hidden, one pointed at them, the other at the Master. "Oh, I wouldn't be doing that if I were you." He raised an eyebrow, "These are alien guns. Kill anything it's pointed at, and when I say that, I mean that the beam it shoots out covers about a ten foot area." He smiled at them, a wicked smile, causing his scar to wrinkle, "And I don't even have to worry about killing Jack. He'll come back."

The silence in the room was threatening. The Master was glaring up at the Torchwood, blood covering his face. "You think those guns will stop me?"

Ianto looked down at the Master, "Yes. I do." He paused, "And I doubt you'll have time to regenerate." His face in a half smirk, "How 'bout you tell you're boys to untie Jack." Not a question, but an order.

The Master didn't look over to his guards, didn't give them any sign to do as the Torchwood told them, but they untied Jack anyway. It looked to them like Ianto might have an itchy trigger finger. "Well then, why don't you just shoot us? You said your guns will take us all out and you don't have to worry about the Freak."

Ianto's smirk fell. A stoic mask in place, eyes showing sadness, "I really don't want there to be more deaths than there already is."

"How very noble." The Master spat, sending a few blood specks onto Ianto's suit. "But you won't be able to get out of here without killing at least one."

Ianto's smirk was on his face again, as he heard one the chains around Jack's wrists fell to the floor, "Well, I could just leave the same way I came in?" The Welshman's voice sounded slightly bored. The other chain fell with a clash. The Torchwood looked at Jack and they nodded.

Jack started walking towards his once lover, amazed that he was free, after so long. How could Ianto have done all of this? And how were they going to get out of it and defeat the Master? Surely the only way was to go ahead and shoot the Master with one of Ianto's guns.

But right when Jack almost reached Ianto, a guard snuck up behind the Welshman and hit him at the base of the skull with the butt of a gun, causing Ianto to stumbled a but and drop one of his guns. Jack quickly ran forward and punched the guard in the throat, causing him to fall to the ground with choking sounds. Grabbing Ianto and pulling him up straight the two started to run down the corridor, hopefully to somewhere where they could hide or escape.

As they came into the deck of the ship the Doctor peeked out of his tent, the Jones' stopped moving, the guards caught off guard. The sound of their footsteps running was the only noise in the area, everyone too surprised to say anything.

But running behind them was the Master, blood all over his face causing him to look every bit the villain he was. Letting out an evil laugh, he stopped and aimed his gun. Well, really it wasn't his gun. It was one of the Torchwood's guns. The one Ianto had dropped. "Say Goodbye!" He yelled before shooting towards the two Torchwood officers.

Ianto and Jack fell, their life leaving them. The Master raised one of his arms and wiped the blood away with a sleeve before stalking up to the two dead people. "Leave the Freak for now. Lets let him wake up next to his precious Ianto." He paused, "But have your guns trained on him. We really must bring him back to his cage after he sees the body."

Jack woke up gasping, as he usually did. Fear piercing the senses, as it usually did. But something wasn't usual. He was on the ground and Jack's revived mind still hadn't started thinking correct. Why wasn't he suspended in the air? Like usual? Then it hit him, Ianto. Ianto had gotten him loose. Jack swallowed - if he had died? He turned and saw Ianto Jones beside him, laying face up now. The blue eyes wide open, face as stoic as ever. The scar staring at him.

Jack woke up gasping, as he usually did. Fear piercing the senses, as it usually did. But he was warm and felt safe. That was past, it had to be. It hadn't happened, Jack just had to remind himself that. He turned and looked saw Ianto Jones beside him, laying face up at the moment. The blue eyes closed and dreaming, face with a small smile on it as he turned and snuggled into Jack's warm body. Jack reached his arms around his once again lover and kissed down the face, where they scar had been, causing Ianto to mutter something in his sleep before settling down again. Jack sighed, happy laying next to a very real and very alive Ianto Jones. The Torchwood. The one who, for at least a few seconds, helped him escape the Master's chains. The one who stole Jack's heart.


End file.
